I could go on and have a massive post about why I stepped away from my Blog for such a long time but I won’t. Not just now anyway. I’m not 100% sure I’m back for good but while I feel like I have some spare time, I thought I’d come on and give a little update and also do some fashion posts 🙂

To start off I must tell you all I have recently had my second baby. A beautiful baby boy. He is my second child. I now am a mother of a newborn and a pre-teen. Lord help me! Lol!!

Pregnancy fashion was not very kind to me. Neither has post pregnancy fashion. However I thought I would come on and share with you all some pieces that have made my life easier post pregnancy and recovering from a Caesarean section.

First off isn’t very ground breaking but I think we can all agree that there isn’t anything more comfortable than good old leggings!

I got these ones from Primark. £3 a pair. Absolute bargain! I wore them whilst pregnant and then bought the smaller size after I had my boy. They are high waisted which was ideal as it meant they weren’t touching or irritating my scar. Win win!

I’ve been rather lucky with losing the baby belly however, at the moment it’s still in that “jelly belly” stage. Horrendous feeling. Therefore I’ve been wearing T-shirt’s every day. These ones are all from Primark as well. Ranging from £4-£6.

On my feet I’ve been wearing trainers. During my pregnancy I was so very swollen and went up a shoe size and also had to buy wide foot shoes. Luckily for me they have gone back down but to be comfortable I’ve been wearing these….

Both are again from Primark. The black ones I believe were £8 and the white ones £12. Both are so comfortable and so versatile.

With the weather being a tad hotter than normal (for Glasgow anyways) I swear by floaty dresses. They are good for hiding post pregnancy belly, legs and bum. New Look have some gorgeous midi dresses which for me it’s ideal because it hides all the parts I’m not quite ready to have on display.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

Both are £19.99. I have the one on the right and it’s so comfortable and so flattering on. I’ve been wearing it with these sandals from Primark which are £6…..

Another New Look find is this dress….

Retails at £15.99 and also comes in green or red. Absolutely ideal for the hotter weather 🙂

Last but not least is this one from Primark….

Gorgeous when it’s on as well.

And that’s pretty much all I have to share so far. My baby boy is only 6 weeks old so I’ve loads of clothes yet to find but I will share things if and when I find them. This is just a couple of things I’ve found that have helped me with my post pregnancy body and to keep me comfortable but also looking as good as I can get in my situation.

I’ve been a busy body recently. I started my college course around 6 weeks ago and I’ve been super busy being a nervous wreck about it. Haha!!

For those interested I’m doing an introduction to counselling and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It’s so insightful and so interesting. I’ve learned a lot in such a small time and not only about counselling but about myself. However, this is all for another time but I thought I’d just clarify what’s kept me de blogging as often! 🙂

I actually haven’t been shopping as much recently. SHOCK HORROR!!!

But, I have noticed a few things recently online that I’ve absolutely fallen in love with and I thought I would just do a little post about what I’ve seen and share it with y’all 🙂

First off we have these amazing boots from Primark:

These are retailing for £20. I love both colour! Although the black would probably be my first choice given that they will pretty much go with anything and everything.

Next up we have this parka from Peacocks:

Now, Peacocks isn’t a shop I would ever think of going into because I actually forgot about it. One actually popped up in a shopping centre close to where I live and I just wandered in and had a snoop around and I was pleasantly surprised. They actually have some really nice stuff in there! This jacket included 🙂 The jacket also comes in black and retails for £40! I do love a parka! I always feel that you are so warm and cosy in them. Perfect for Autumn/Winter 🙂

Those of you who read this little blog often will not be surprised to know that each of the following outfits are from Miss Selfridge 🙂

LilFashionLover is obsessed with Miss Selfridge 💁🏻

Ok, so here are my 3 favourite outfits for the colder autumn months. All which can be teamed with the above mentioned Primark Boots 🙂

How amazing are those outfits! I love them all. Pair the dress and the skirt with tights to keep your legs warm and cosy.

And there we have it! My top picks for Autumn.

What are your favourite styles at the moment? Let me know 🙂

Hope you enjoyed the read and I promise I will try to post more often when I get the chance too.

As someone who prides herself on bagging a good bargain, this is where my talent for bargain hunting gets done for me! Zara always have an amazing sale! Every year I normally set aside a whack of money because I live in Zara shoes and I also love their tops and little co-ordinates! However we have booked a family holiday to Cancun for next year because we aren’t managing a family holiday this year due to the house redecoration taking priority (bah) Well, I can’t have it all!

So this is the first year in a while that I haven’t (with the exception of some kids clothes/shoes for my son) bought a thing (for myself)

I can’t tell you how much of a bummer this is because since the start of the year and I do this every year, I gush over Zara website and pick out what I know I will get when the sale hits! So things I have been lusting after for months, I won’t be owning! This make me very sad! Haha!

So instead of spending I thought I would do a little blog post featuring stuff from the Zara sale that I would have purchased 🙂

This is only a small handful because I didn’t want a photo heavy post. I could easily have added a lot more! 😄

Ok so first off, please excuse my French on the title of this blog post but I thought I would just share with you all some things that have started to really bother me lately. I must warn you; this is the biggest/strangest mix of topics you will ever come across! Lol!!!

I would like to bring to your attention a few things I call “BULLSHIT” on and since this is a Fashion & Lifestyle Blog, this affects my life so I thought I’d write about it 😛

First thing:

CONTOURING

Ok, so before I get my head bitten off by Beauty Bloggers worldwide, let me clear something up. I love contouring, I contour, I use contouring pallets and I own 3 of them. It’s so much fun to play around with and it really does give you definition. What have I added it to my bullshit list for? Because we have been shown so many celebrities with contoured faces and they all seem to have the most flawless faces you will ever see! Contouring is heavy duty makeup and more often than not it makes the face look cakey and full of harsh lines, unless seen on a hi-resolution camera or under the right lighting. It highlights and defines the face shape and in order to get the definition needed to contour, you need the shadowy effect, meaning heavy cakey makeup! It NEVER looks flawless to the bare eye so when I was contouring and following instruction precisely, could you imagine my disappointment when I didn’t walk away looking like Kim K? I looked more like a box of only brown, cream and yellow Crayons attacked my face and it accented the fine lines/wrinkles on my skin making me look worse! However, take to SnapChat and use the filter that everyone uses and it seems to drown out of all lines etc! It’s the only way to look flawless, use a filter!

Celebrities who make this huge deal about contouring are what have ruined it for me. They act like contouring is the holy grail when they forget that in order for them to look as good as they do, comes down to surgery more than makeup! Gives us “normal” women a false sense of what it should look like. That trend up there that Kim K is showing does not make the skin go from this:

TO THIS:

This is down to good lighting & filters. Seeing this in the flesh would be like looking at the top image but smothered in makeup, I can guarantee it.

MAKEUP BRUSHES

More often than not, the only tools you need to do any makeup are your fingers! You have no idea the amount of beauty bloggers out there that can be seen using their fingers to create their looks rather than use a brush. Again though, to clear up, I do use makeup brushes, I own them. However there are about 20 brushes that I have no idea what to do with! Especially eye make-up brushes. Why is there a need for about 15 different brushes for different things to do on the smallest part of the face? I don’t understand it at all. I am however a huge fan of the beauty blender!

GEORDIE SHORE

To clarify what I mean, I am meaning the appearance of every cast member in Geordie Shore. When GS graced our screens back in 2011 do you remember these faces?

Well, they do NOT look like that anymore do they? This stumps me. They were offered these TV roles when they actually looked like that, so why now, have they all morphed into the same person? There is no individuality amongst them anymore. Why have they changed so much and why do they feel the need to mess around with their appearance at such young ages?? What was so wrong with them before? It really bothers me. Is it the pressure of seeing yourself on TV and hating what they see? It’s a shame.

TEEN MOM

Ok, I absolutely LOVE Teen Mom OG. I watch it religiously and I am the biggest backer of Catelynn & Tyler Baltierra! I can’t stand Farrah in the slightest! I remember when Teen Mom first started, Farrah actually followed me on Twitter, this was pre-porn and before she went nuts! Because I voiced an opinion on what she done with her daughters tooth (for those who haven’t seen/watched it, she gave her child £800 for one tooth from the “Tooth Fairy”) and because I said something about it on Twitter, she actually blocked me! Lol!!! Madness.

I never really watched any of the other Teen Mom’s, only a fan of the Original Girls.

Anyway, back to my point. Why is Teen Mom on my bullshit list? It’s the concept of the show, not the people who appear on it. I just think the lifestyle it has given the people that appear on the show now sways a lot of girls thinking they can be part of a TV show and live the life that they do. Not every young girl, I don’t mean that at all. But look at it this way: Catelynn & Tyler come from, in their words, “trailer parks and poor families” but now after their success on the show they are pretty well off and never have to worry about money. Same with the other girls, Farrah, Maci & Amber. They all have been given the opportunity to make a load of money from appearing on this show when originally it was supposed to show us what life is like to be a Teen Mom. I’m in no way saying that it has been an easy ride for them all, I watched them from the beginning and saw the struggles they all went through but the biggest factor in becoming a parent at any age, is the financial strain, which none of them will ever have now thanks to the show.

I really hope my point is coming across because I in no way want to offend anyone, especially the Teen Mom OG’s (not saying that I believe they will even read this LOL) But you get what I mean don’t you? Being a Teen Mom isn’t a lifestyle and no one should be paid to be so but that’s kind of, in essence, what’s made each of their careers.

BEAUTY BLOGGERS WHO USE MAKEUP APPS

I reckon we all as a nation, no matter who you are, use a filter. Filters are good, they make us look good and in turn we feel good. But, I am talking about bloggers who use makeup apps like YouCam Makeup and the likes. We normal folk turn to bloggers (mainly beauty bloggers) to learn the ropes on makeup skills and such, but if you are actually putting makeup onto your photos using a makeup app, this is just silly. Again with the false sense of what things are supposed to look like. Some of it is so noticeable too as if we can’t see the eye shadow that isn’t quite matched to where it should be or that we don’t see the flick of your eyeliner on your hair! Not cool!

THIS GENERATION

I dropped my son off to a school disco a few weeks ago and he was there for around an hour and a half. When he came home I done the usual teasing asking him if he got a girlfriend and stuff, we laughed about it and then I asked him how it went. He said to me it was pretty boring because, get this “everyone was just sitting about on their phones”

I’m sorry, WHAT? This was a school disco for Primary 4 – Primary 7 kids.

I mean you know yourself how bad it is as an adult to be out somewhere with someone at parties or nights out and for someone to constantly be on their phones. I just cant believe that kids as young as 8 are being like this. School parties in my day were all about dancing, scoffing sweets and juice and trying to get a tiny little kiss off the boy you fancy! My son also told me that a girl he knows went home crying because her boyfriend was chatting to another girl from another class!! Jeez oh! As if they haven’t got enough to deal with at that age. I really hate this generation!

Ok, so I feel like I’ve just had a huge moan fest but my god do I feel so much better for it! Hahaha!!!

Does any of this stuff bother you? What kinds of things are grinding on you guys these days? I highly suggest doing a blog post about it because I feel so much better for typing this all out and getting it off my chest! 😀

My next blog post will be live in about 2 weeks and it’ll be more a fashion based one. It’s my birthday next month so I’m contemplating a Birthday Wish List, keep your eyes peeled 🙂

How are we all? I haven’t blogged for a while (AGAIN) eek! I apologise. But I must say, I have very good reason. The reason is:

I’VE JOINED THE GYM

Yes, I have become quite the Gym Bunny and I must say, I am loving it! After much debate about what gym to join I opted for Sports Direct Fitness

I was looking for a gym that offered classes, gym equipment and a swimming pool and it was really hard to find at first. I found this gym by chance when I totally mixed it up with a different gym but more than anything I was won over by the price of this one. For access to full use of the gym equipment, classes, swimming pool & sauna, it costs £19.99 per month. I have joined gyms in the past (around 13 years ago…eeek) and I’m sure at the time I was paying £29 per month at the time and this didn’t even include classes, I also had to pay for each class I took.

So, I have been doing the gym now for the past 4/5 weeks and so far, I am absolutely loving it. That’s not to say it’s been hard work, my oh my I have felt pain in places I didn’t know I had muscle to work! But as they say NO PAIN etc etc 🙂

I came across this photo and this is the photo that made me promise myself that I wouldn’t give up this time round:

It’s been around 4/5 weeks now since going to the gym and I only go 3/4 times a week and I can honestly say that I can actually feel the difference. I’ll clear something up first because I get a lot of lash from my family and friends who all say to me that “you don’t need to lose weight” or that “you’re fine the way you are”

They don’t live inside my body, they don’t see the extra wobbly bits I now have that I never had before, but I can see them and I can feel them and I joined the gym to work hard and feel better about myself again because I had been unhappy for a while. I started wearing tights on nights out because I no longer liked my legs, I would hide myself away on sunny days because I couldn’t bare wearing shorts and having my thighs out. But I used to wear shorts all the time, namely denim hot pants and it killed me that I just didn’t feel comfortable enough anymore to wear them. I was even very wary about what dresses I would wear, especially the length of them because I especially hate the back of my legs at the top of my thighs. Now, these feelings haven’t only just came around or I would blame old age! Lol!! I have been living with these feelings for around 5 years. 5 whole years! Feeling like I was a totally different person and it affected me and my moods and also certain relationships whether it be between myself and my husband, or me and friends. I would be asked to go out all the time and I would always turn a night out down, because I just don’t feel comfortable in anything that I put on. It’s only now looking back that I see how much that extra bit of weight and little dimples (cellulite) on my thighs/back of my legs, turned me into a recluse. I was usually always up for a night out, the chance to get all dressed up in a little dress and huge heels and strut the night away but in the last few years, I was forever turning everyone down. My confidence took a great knock and I had no one to blame but myself.

I have no idea what it was that gave me the kick up the back side that I needed to actually do something about it but if I could bottle it and sell it, I’d be a millionaire for sure! I just remember this feeling coming over me after reading my TimeHop from 4 years ago for the 4th year in a row and realising that I have been feeling this way all this time and never got round to doing anything and it was at that point after realising I had been moaning about it for long enough that I knew I had to get up and do something. So, I done just that and joined the gym.

So far, I haven’t braved a class as yet because, well, I’m shit scared to be frank! I’ve glimpsed in on a few and by god they look tough going. For now I have a good little routine that seems to be working for me after speaking with and getting an induction from a Personal Trainer. I have been starting off on the treadmill and doing intervals of sprinting as fast as I can for 10 seconds, and then coming off for 20 seconds and repeat for 10 minutes. That was when I first started, I now try and reach 15 minutes and running for 20 seconds and stopping for 10. This sounds easy doesn’t it 🙂 Yeah, try it! Lol!!! It physically hurts, and up until I’ve managed to control my breathing, I was puffing and panting the entire time! Now it’s not so bad, still hard work, but I seem to have built up my strength. I have also opted to do more weight training so I then use the machines to work your arms, legs and bum. The personal trainer I had my induction with gave me great advice and better ideas to achieve my goals. I thought power walking on a treadmill and then doing the cross trainer and exercise bikes all in the one night was a good workout. Turns out I was wrong, and it was proven to me right in front of my own eyes. One time I was doing my usual 10 second sprint/20 second rest and this time I lasted 12 minutes. In those 12 minutes I had burned 133 calories. The girl next to me was on the treadmill for 42 minutes and she had only burned 233. Yes, 100 more than me but had I kept going for another 10 minutes, equalling my time to 22 minutes, I’d have burned more than her in shorter time. I will do some classes eventually but for now, what I am doing is working really well for me. I’m starting to feel better within myself and I feel like I can see slight changes in my frame.

I really should have taken a “before” photo because I didn’t do that at the start for fear of anyone seeing it in my phone! But, I might actually start now. I have never been a fan of weight scales, I believe they are the devils work! No one ever judges you by lifting you up and guessing what you weigh, it’s just a number and numbers can change, it’s up to me to change that. I have no idea what I weigh right now and I have no interest in knowing. I just want to like what I see in the mirror 🙂

I know I still have a long way to go but if I continue to keep going the way I am, I know I’ll eventually achieve the best version of myself that I can be 🙂

And that, is my goal 😀

Of course, you can live in the gym 24/7 but if you aren’t eating well then it feels like all your good work is going to waste. I’ve yet to get into a better routine of eating because apparently I don’t eat enough! But I am trying. I find making a meal plan at the weekend for the week ahead really helps. I don’t believe in shakes, I could never have a drink for breakfast and call it a meal. I don’t do protein shakes/juice plus stuff etc. I just don’t think it’s good for me. You can get all the stuff that your body needs by preparing it all and making sure you are well fuelled with the right foods and water. For anyone interested, I have attached a food plan for the week because when I have been trying to find things to mix up my dinners/lunches etc I was getting so bored eating the same stuff so a plan gives you the opportunity to mix it up a bit and you don’t feel like you are constantly eating the same stuff 🙂

DAY

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snack

Monday

Crunch & Greek Yogurt

Chicken Salad

Mussels & Side Salad

Banana

Tuesday

Warburton Thin/Peanut Butter/Banana

Scrambled Eggs/Chopped Avocado

Flakes of Smoked Salmon and mixed veg

Chopped Strawberries

Wednesday

Greek Yogurt & Fruit

Toasted Warburton Thin/Peanut Butter/Banana

Boiled Chicken Fillets/Green Veg

Blueberries & Raspberries

Thursday

2 Boiled Eggs/Toasted Warburton Thin

Koka Curry Noodles

Sweet potato mash, corned beef and veg

2 Ryvita Multiseed Thins/Garlic Pate

Friday

Scrambled Eggs/Chopped Avocado

Mixed Pepper Omelette

Quorn Chicken stirfry/Veg

2 Ryvita Multiseed Thins/Garlic Pate

Saturday

Vegetarian Fry

Ham Salad Sandwich/Side of SnackAJacks

Mixed Pepper omelette/Rice & Veg

Chopped Mixed Fruit

Sunday

DAY OFF

DAY OFF

DAY OFF

DAY OFF

This is what I typically eat through the week. I have been told I don’t eat enough for someone at the gym 3/4 times a week. I am not a nutritionist nor am I an expert with gym stuff/eating habits but I thought I would share my experience and what I do at the gym and what I eat through my week.

Trying to find things online was a real struggle so I just wanted to share what I eat. Obviously this changes each week and new things are added to shake it up. I also would like to point out that I don’t hold myself back, if I fancy having a pizza one night, I will, if I fancy a takeaway Chinese, I will. It’s all about balance. I eat really well perhaps 85% of the time. There is nothing wrong with having what you want so long as we do it in moderation.

I’m not 100% sure on what the message of this post is about, I feel like I have just blabbed away without much thought as to if it makes any sense! Haha!! I guess I just wanted to share with you all what I’ve been doing recently and also share some wisdom I have learned through the gym. Also, if I can manage after 5 years of moaning about being inactive and feeling like a slob to get up, shake it off, do something about it, then I hope I can encourage at least one other person who perhaps is or has been feeling like I did for so long to also do it too because I wont lie, it really does feel so good! I feel so much happier as a person, every time I come away from the gym I have this smug feeling about me and there isn’t a feeling like it. I feel like I am getting my old confidence back, slowly, but surely 🙂

I can’t recommend the gym I am at anymore. They are so friendly, make you feel so welcome and once you get over the fear of it feeling daunting walking into a gym full of people (which by the way, goes away really fast when you realise no one is watching you) its a great place to be a part of 🙂 There is always someone on hand to show you stuff or give you advice and you can also book with a Personal Trainer if you feel that’s more your thing.

It’s been a while since I last blogged, experiencing a little bit of the old “Writers Block” but I have a good few bits and bobs in the pipe line but for the time being I thought I would do a small post on the latest trend that’s grabbed my attention: THE BOMBER JACKET!

If you follow me on any of my social media accounts you will have seen I shared this photo yesterday:

A line taken from one of my favourite films, Miss Congeniality. Yesterday was infact April 25th and as much as we should be experiencing weather good enough for a light jacket, we seem to be heading back in the direction of winter here in Glasgow! Yes, it may be sunny but we have an icy wind blowing around us and dear lord is it cold!

The Bomber Jacket trend for me has landed just in time for this kind of weather we are having. For a change (and fingers crossed it stays that way) we don’t seem to have any rain in Glasgow so there is no need for huge jackets with hoods to keep us dry.

Just like Cheryl aka Miss Rhode Island says: “All you need is a light jacket”

Enter, the Bomber Jacket!

Lightweight yet heavy enough to keep you warm. It’s comfortable and very practical! You can dress it up or dress it down and that for me is always a winner.

I love the fact that all Bomber Jackets are designed in the same way but they come in different materials and how gorgeous is the one from Zara which is 3/4 length!! ❤

The one from Matalan is the best buy I would say!

I must also point out that when I was in Primark over the weekend, they also have Bomber Jackets in and they are just gorgeous! I saw this beautiful dusty pink one in faux suede, it was beautiful and also a floral one which is very similar to the one above from New Look. I think Primark is retailing their Bombers for around £15/£17 or something like that. Worth a pop in and have a look!

Whilst I’m on the topic, why can’t we online shop at Primark yet!? My life would be so much easier if we could. Sort it out Primark 😛

Thanks to ASOS, I am now back to looking through endless amounts of gorgeous shoes, pumps, loafers, boots, sandals….and I am swooning far too much over them all.

It can’t be helped when you feel like the shoe game had been over for a while and then ASOS, out of nowhere, saved the day! Their collection (all be it most of them are designer/high street labelled) is to die for. What I like about ASOS, like most people, is that it’s a “one stop shop” One where you will find an array of footwear and clothing from all walks of the fashion industry in the one place. It’s like heaven!

So, I thought I would share with you lovely lot what my top picks are from ASOS at the moment. I have narrowed it down to 21 pairs of shoes. I’m not even sorry for the sheer volume of shoes I am about to inundate y’all with…..You will understand once you see them, I promise 😀

How PRETTY are ALL of these shoesssssss!!!!!!!

Now can you understand why I couldn’t narrow it any further??? If anything I could easily have added more! Haha!!

I can see my shoes collection bursting at the seams this summer.

I just thought I would share this with you all because I’m just a nice person like that 😛

Please do not blame me if you end up on ASOS this fine Monday evening and end up a few (hundred) pounds down in your bank accounts! Hahaha!!!

Hope you are all having a great day today and have an even better week ❤